‘I bin reason to take my life as full-time care giver for my pikin wey get cerebral palsy'

“My day as full time care giver to my only child wey get medical challenges dey start very early.

I dey wake up very early around 5:00am. I go sweep di house, prepare her food, any job I get, I go do am, di moment she wake up I go do physio therapy for her, feed her and baff for her. Sometimes before I dey eat na till 12:00pm.”

Soji Oyeranmi tok as e play back wetin im daily routine wit im 13-year-old daughter Oyinkansola Oyeranmi wey get cerebral palsy be like.

“Life as a single dad taking care of my sick pikin bin dey very very difficult, di headache pass wetin I fit express, both psychologically and physically, e dey affect me seriously but I no get choice and I bin dey pray say help go come.” Na so Oyeranmi tell BBC Pidgin.

‘Dem no born am like dis’

Mr Oyeranmi say dem no born im pikin like dat, according to am, she get brain injury she get wen dem dey comot her from di womb.

“Na during CS operation, na dat time di wahala start.

Na wetin Oyibo pipo dey call birth injury na im happun. Wen dem deliver her, dem suppose give her some kain beta treatment but dem just pack her put one side and dat was it, di second wey oxygen seize, dat na di wahala.” E tok.

Mr Oyeranmi say doctor no quick diagnose im pikin wey dem born for 2009 till 2010 wen she no begin do wetin she suppose do.

“Dem come ask us wetin hapun wen dem born am, she cry? We say she no cry, na dia dem tell us say we don enta am oh say dis tin na life long management.” Pipo dey wey get cerebral palsy wey you go hardly know, dat na our hope say wit time and treatment she go dey pick some of dis tins.

‘I decide to end everytin’

Mr Oyeranmi say tins become extremely hard wen e separate from im wife and become im pikin only care-giver. E say e be like di world end for am and Oyinkansola.

E say tins become so hard so tey di stress and trauma of evrytin affect am and e tink about ending it all. E make one post for Facebook wey catch di attention of Nigerians.

“I bin write letter, to govnors, oda pipo wey dem give me dia address, nobody respond. I get so economically stranded so I no fit buy her drugs and my drugs and I come become down morally.

“Wetin make me make dat post be say, I come dey tink say shebi some kontries dey if pesin no fit carri on again you fit tell dem? My fear be say di complication wey I get, if I no get money to take care of am e go kill me eventually. I make up my mind say me na to go, but I no fit do anytin to my pikin so sometin tell me to put am online so wen pipo see am dem go know say orphan dey somewia wey dem fit help.

I never ask one day say why me becos di world wey we dey, dey full of tragedies na di part wey affect you, you go design ways to and ask of help wne you need am, I never really blame anybody but pipo wey suppose show moral support bin no dey.”

‘Hope again’

Mr Oyeranmi post touch di hearts of some Nigerians wey begin dey reach out to am. E say di way Nigerians respond to di message don give am hope.

 “Di outpour of love, di calls, everytin, I never hope say dat kain tin fit happen, I just put di tin say maybe if I don die, pipo go dey aware say one orphan girl dey somewia wey di baba just take im life so maybe dem go come take care of am since wen I dey alive, my cry for help no do anytin, up till now, e be like say I dey dream becos up till now, pipo still dey call and offer support.”

Oyinkansola papa say although e feel guilty wen e look im pikin since dem no born am dat way, im ogbonge plan remain to get help for her to become beta.

“Anytime I look my daughter, I feel guilty becos e no be natural, na we cause am, na one of di reason wey I no fit leave her one place wey I no go get access to, e be like one side of me wey don dey paralyse, e dey hurt deeply, but at di same time e bring passionate love of a father whose only child just dey die small-small for your face and everytin you try no work out.”

We dey communicate non-verbally, wen I look her face I know wetin she want, wen you do her good tin she go laugh, sometimes we dye fight as she dey, she go cry, I go beg her, she understand. Her senses dey alive.

My plan na to look for wia she go dey do therapy, get pipo wey go take care of her so I fit look for anoda job but di ogbonge plan na to take her abroad becos I never meet any expert for Nigeria.” E tok.

Wetin be cerebral palsy?

According to UK National Health Service, Cerebral palsy na di name wey dem dey call a group of lifelong conditions wey dey affect movement and co-ordination. Na problem wit di brain wey dey develop before, during or soon afta birth na im dey cause am.

Di symptoms of cerebral palsy no dey usually dey obvious just afta dem born di pikin. Dem dey normally become noticeable during di first 2 or 3 years of di pikin life.

Symptoms include, delays in reaching development milestones – for example, make pikin no siddon by 8 months or no waka by 18 months

Cerebral palsy fit happun if pikin brain no develop normally while e dey inside womb, or e dey damaged during or soon afta birth.

Currently, cure no dey for cerebral palsy, but treatments dey available to help pipo wit di condition to dey as active and independent as possible.